Electric soldering iron



Dec. 1 19240 1,519,246

F. F. FORSHEE ET AL IEILEC'IRIC- SOLDERING IRON Filed Oct. 20, 1921.ZZZ.

WITNESS St INVENTORS w lj Frank E Forshee and ggyms C. Woodsom PatentedDec. 16, 1924.

UNITE STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

FRANK F. IORSHEE, OF FLINT, MICHIGAN, AND JAMES C. WOODSON, OFMANSFIELD,

OHIO, ASSIGNORS T0 WESTINGHOUSE ELECTRIC PRODUCTS COMPANY, A CORPORA-'IION OF MICHIGAN ELECTRIC SOLDERING IRON.

Application filed. October 20, 1921. Serial No. 509,065.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, FRANK F. FORSHEE, a citizen of the United States,and a resident of Flint, in the county of Genesee and State of Michigan,and JAMES C. Woonsorr, a citizen of the United States, and a resident ofMansfield, in the county of Richland and State of Ohio, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Electric Soldering Irons, of which thefollowing is a specification.

Our invention relates to electrically heated devicesand particularly toelectrically heated soldering irons and it has for one of its objects toprovide a quickly removable encased heating element for a solderingiron.

Another object is to provide a contact terminal for a soldering ironwhich will permithof using a standard contact plug therewit Anotherobject is to provide a handle which may be quickly adjusted to anydesired anghlar position relatively to the body of the iron.

In practising our invention, we provide a combined soldering tip andeasing within which is located a removable encased heating elementcomprising a refractory resistor support, a resistor wound thereon, anenclosing metal tube and granular electric-insulating andheat-conducting material surrounding said resistor and its support.

An insulating bushing, on which two contact terminals are mounted, islocated in longitudinal alinement with said resistor support and fitswithin a metal cover member. lhe cover member operatively engages theinner end of the casing and is secured to the inner end of the enclosingmetal tube of the heating element. A terminal guard is secured to thecover member. A handle supporting member, substantially of U-form, issecured to theeover member and its ends are provided with a plurality ofnotches and are maintained in substantially parallel s aced relation bya pin extending theret rough, upon which is loosely mounted a pivotbushing.

A. hollow handle member is located on a rod having threaded ends, theinner end of the rod engaging the pivot bushing and t -e outer endengagin a screw cap. A pawl or clamp, substantial y of iii-shape, islocated at the inner end of the handle, its ends being forced intoengagement with the notches in the supporting member to hold the handlein any one of a number of predetermined angular positions relatively tothe body of the iron and being moved out of said notches by a coilspring when the cap is unscrewed toperniit of moving the handle toanother position.

In the single sheet of drawings,

Figure 1 is a view, partly in side elevation and partly in section, 01":an electric soldering iron embodying our invention;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the electric iron illustrated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a vertical, longitudinal view through the bodyof the iron onthe line IHIH of Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional View through the upper end of the bodyof the iron taken at right angles to the view illustrated in Fig. 3.

A combined soldering tip and casing 11 comprises a copper tubularportion 12 and a solid outer end suitably shaped to serve as a solderingtip.

A metallic tube 14., having its inner end closed by a disk 15 brazed orwelded thereto is located in the casingll. The outer end of the tube 14extends a short distance beyond the end of the casing 11 and has a metalcollar member 16 brazed thereto. The longitudinal dimensions of the tube14 are such that one side face of the collar 16 operatively engages theend of the casing 11 when the disk 15 is in engagement with, or isimmediately adjacent to, thebottom wall of the recess in which it islocated. A. hollow spool or mandrel 17, of any suitable refractorymaterial, has a resistor 18 wound thereon, suitable provision being madefor bringing the inner end of the resistor back through the hollow spool17 ,topermit of connecting it to one of two terminal clamps 19 locatedon a bushing 21 made of any suitable insulating material, the outer endof the resistor being connected to the other terminal clamp. The twoterminal clamps screws 22 and to permit of mounting thereon a pluralityof suitable longitudinally extending contact terminals 23 which may beprovided with integral shoulder ortions 24 and threaded inner endsadapte to extend through apertures 25 in the bushin 21 and engagethreaded openings provide in the terminal clamps 19. The space betweenthe outer surface of the spool 17 and the tube 14 is filled with asuitable granular insulating portions 28 which are engaged by outwardlyturned flange portions 29 of a guard 31 of substantially the same lengthas the cou tact terminals 23 to protect the same. As illustrated,theguard member 31 is substantially tubular and oval in lateral crosssec tion to co-operate with and receive a standard terminal plug ofsubstantially oval lateral cross section.

A handle-supporting member 32 comprises a metallicmember, substantiallyof U-shape, with an enlarged central portion encircling the cap member27 and havin the outer arcuate ends of each of the two eg portions 33and 34 provided with a plurality of spaced notches 35. The two portions33 and 34 are maintained in. substantially parallel.

and spaced-apart relation by means of a pin 36 having upsetor headedends to maintain it in its operative position in the two members 33and34. A pivot bushing 37 is mounted on the pin 36 and has a turningmovement thereon.

A handle member 38 of any suitable material has a central axial pole 39extending therethrough within which is placed a metallic tube 41 havinga metal washer 42 secured thereto at its outer end and having a metallicclamping member 43, substantiall of U-shape, secured thereto at itsinner end? immediately adjacent a metal ferrule 44 located on the innerend of the handle member 38. A rod 45 is located in the tube 41 and hasits inner end screw threaded to engage the pivot bushing 37. A spring 46that surrounds the inner end of the rod presses outwardly against awasher 47 located inside the clamping member 43. The outer end of therod 45 18 also screw threaded and operatively engages a metal insert 48located in a handle ca or knob 49. A washer 51 may be locate on the rod45 between the insert 48 and the washer 42.

If it is assumed that the unitary encased heating element and the handlepart hereinbefore described have been assembled and that it is desiredtocompletely assemble the soldering iron, the guard member 31 may beplaced in its proper operative position in the cap 27, after which theunitary enclosed heating element, hereinbefore described as comprisingthe tube 14, the collar 16 and the bottom disk 15, the spool 17, theresistor 18, the bushing 21, the terminal clamps 19, the contactterminals 23 and casing 11, may be placed in proper operative positionwithin the cap 27, substantially as illustrated in Fig. 3 of thedrawings. The parts are maintained in their proper. positions by aplurality of flat-head screws 52 which project through the cap 27 intothe collar member 16. These members may then be placed within the handlesupport 32 and a plurality of screws 53, projecting through the handlesupport 32 and through the cap 27 and into the casing 11, at its upperpart, serve to maintain these members in proper operative position.

If it is assumed that the handle is in substantially the ositionillustrated in the cross sectional vlew thereof in Fig. 1, and it isdesired to move it to either of the positions illustrated by the brokenlines in Fig. 1, it is only necessary to unscrew the knotor cap 49 onthe rod 45, which permits of the spring 46 forcing the handle 38 and theclamping member 43 out of engagement with the notches 35 in the portions33 and 34, after whichthe handle may be moved to such position, withinthe limits prescribed by the construction illustrated and described, asmay be demanded by the work to be done or b the desire of the operator.It is also possi le to move the handle into a position substantiallyparallel to the body of the iron and extending away 'from the handlesupport in substantially the same direction as the body of the iron topermit of shipping the assembled iron in a minimum space.

In case of accidental injury to the heating element or of a burn-out ofthe resistor, the iron may be quickly and easily dis-assembled to permitof quickly removing the armored or encased heating element and ofsubstituting therefor a new heatin element and again assembling the ironwit a minimum amount of interruption to the work.

The device embodying our invention pro vides an electrically heatedsoldering iron having a handle which may be placed in any one of anumber of predetermined angular positions relatively to the bod of theiron to adapt it to the work being one and also provides an armored orencased heating eleing departing from the spirit and scope there-r of,and I desire that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as areimposed by the prior art or are specificallyv set forth in the appendedclaims.

We claim as our invention v 1. lIn-an electrically'heated solderingiron, the combination with a combined casing and soldering tip, of aremovable unitary structure comprising resistance wire heating element,a plurality of contact terminals, an insulating bushing for maintainingsaid terminals in operative spaced relation relatively to each other, atubular casing for said heating element and a cover for saidinsulatbushing operatively engaging said casin 2 n an electricallyheated soldering iron, the combination with a combined soldering tip andcasing, of a removable armored resistance wire heating elementcomprising a metal tube locatedin said casing, an insulating spool, aresistor wound on said spool and granular electric insulating andheatconducting material inside of said metal tube.

3. In an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with acombined soldering tip and casing, and a quickly removable armoredheating element located in said casing, of an insulating bushing,contact terminals mounted on said bushing, a cover member for saidbushing secured to said casing and a contact terminal guard membermounted on said cover.

4. ln an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with acombined casing and soldering tip, of a removable armored heatingelement comprising a resistor wire, a terminal member operativelyvassociated therewith, a tubular member, closed at one end, located insaid combined casing and soldering tip and around said heating elementand granular electrical-insulating and heat-conducting -material locatedbetween said heating element wand said tubular member.

5. in an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with acombined soldering the combination with a combined soldering tip andcasing, of a removable encased heat ing element located in said casing,terminal clamps associated with said heating element, a cover for saidterminal clamps operative'ly secured to said encased heating element, ahandle-supporting member surrounding said terminal-clamp cover, and ahandle pivot ally mounted on said handle-supporting member.

7; In an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with acombined soldering tip and casing, of a removable encased heatingelement located in said casing, terminal clamps associated with saidheating element, a cover member for said terminal clamps operativelyengaging said encased heating element and said casing, ahandle-supporting member encircling said cover member and having aportion forming a ratchet, a handle pivotally mounted on saidhandlesupporting member and means associated with said handle forco-operating with said ratchet to hold said handle in any. one of aplurality of predetermined positions relatively to said casing.

8. In an electrically heated soldering iron, the combination with acombined soldering tip and casing, a removable armored heating elementlocated in said casing, a terminal member and cover therefor operativelyassociated with said heating element and easing, of a handle memberpivotally mounted on said casing and means associated with said handlefor selectively. determining the angular position of said handlerelatively to said casing.

in testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 13thday of -Uct.,

FRANK 1F. FOBSHEE. J. C. WOODSON.

